My Hattiesburg

IHL announced preferred candidate for Southern Miss

From the IHL web site:

The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) announced in a press conference today that Dr. Martha Saunders, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, is the preferred candidate for the position of President of the University of Southern Mississippi. The announcement was made following a meeting of the Board of Trustees, Commissioner of Higher Education Dr. Thomas C. Meredith, representatives of the Southern Miss Search Advisory Committee, and search consultant, Dr. Jan Greenwood.

“Dr. Saunders is a visionary, with the experience needed to lead the University of Southern Mississippi now and into the future,” said Trustee Robin Robinson, chair of the Southern Miss Board Search Committee. “The Board and Search Advisory Committee were blessed with a tremendous applicant pool, and we are confidant that the search process has led us to the best candidate for president of Southern Miss.”

A short bio is as follows:

Dr. Martha Dunagin Saunders is Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, the first-ever woman to hold the position. During her tenure, she has brought the campus together with a widely inclusive strategic planning process; hosted a successful Higher Learning Commission re-accreditation review; and finalized plans for major building projects totaling $110 million, including a new University Center and a new building for the College of Business and Economics.

Prior to her appointment at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, she was vice president for academic affairs at Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia, where she led an effort to create the Centers of Excellence to further the academic outreach of more than 30 private-public partnerships. She was on the leadership team for a successful $100 million capital campaign, led the campus strategic planning process, and developed several initiatives to increase student enrollment, recruit and retain outstanding faculty and staff, improve the first year experience, and strengthen preparation of teachers in mathematics and science.

Discussion is being held about Dr. Martha Dunagin Saunders over at the forums.